Tesla Model Y Small SUV Arrives As A More Practical Model 3

The entry-level electric crossover is expected to replace the Model 3 as Tesla’s most popular model.

Tesla has finally unveiled the Model Y, an all-electric crossover that’s more important to its mass-market ambitions than even the Model 3.

Essentially a high-riding Model 3 with more seating and cargo room, the Model Y looks to capitalize on the popularity of crossovers and SUVs, which have been killing sedans the world over, both figuratively and literally. It can also be viewed as a smaller, more affordable Tesla Model X.

At launch, the Model Y will be offered in Performance and dual-motor AWD trims. The former is priced at $60,000 in the United States and will be the quickest-accelerating in the lineup, capable of launching from 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) in just 3.5 seconds and hitting a top speed of 150 mph (241 km/h).

The dual-motor AWD Model Y, on the other hand, has a $51,000 price take, completes the zero-to-60-mph sprint in 4.8 seconds and is limited to a 135 mph (217 km/h) top speed. Both are expected to have a driving range of up to 280 miles (451 km/h).

There will eventually be a rear-wheel drive Long Range edition of the Model Y that starts at $47,000 and features a modest increase in driving range to 300 miles (483 km) on a single charge, though acceleration drops to 5.5 seconds.

Finally, the entry-level Model Y Standard Range kicks everything off with a “bargain basement” $39,000 price tag, but steps down to a 5.9-second zero-to-60 time, a 120-mph (193 km/h) top speed, and 230 miles (370 km) of range.

The Model Y shares approximately 75 percent of its parts with the Model 3, explaining its familiar looks inside and out. It does a good job at mimicking a baby Model X but doesn’t get falcon doors for the sake of simplicity.

Bigger dimensions means occupants benefit from for 66 cubic feet of trunk space compared to the Model 3’s 15 cubes, and having conventional doors also allows owners to install a roof rack.

The options list include a $3,000 package to upgrade the seats from five to seven, 19-inch alloy wheels ($1,500), a number of exterior color choices other than black, a black and white interior, Autopilot, and full self-driving capability.

The Performance and dual-motor AWD Model Y are scheduled to arrive by fall 2020, while production of the entry-level Model Y Standard Range isn’t expected to begin until spring 2021. You can currently reserve a Model Y by sending Tesla a refundable $2,500 deposit.

Are you happy with how Tesla’s small SUV turned out? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Polestar 3 Will Be A Coupe-Like SUV Rivaling Tesla Model 3

It will be the Swedish electric car brand’s first SUV-crossover.

Polestar has shifted is hard at work on it’s follow-up the Polestar 2, the company’s Tesla Model 3-fighter.

Unsurprisingly, the Pole Polestar 3 will be a utility vehicle — more specifically a coupe-like SUV — intended to capitalize on the SUV-crossover craze.

“We’ve produced the two bookends. You’ve already got the top end and the bottom end, and all of the Polestar models that we launch thereafter will be positioned in between those two,” Jonathan Goodman, Polestar’s CEO confirmed to Digital Trends. “The one that comes after the Polestar 2 is the Polestar 3. It’s a coupe-style SUV, and we will release it in the back end of 2021.”

Like the Polestar 2, the Polestar 3 will be a fully electric vehicle and will likely share a platform with the the Polestar 2. It will give Polestar an answer to the Tesla Model Y

The Italian automaker is getting ready to enter the electric vehicle segment.

Alfa Romeo used the 2019 Geneva Motor show to debut the Tonale Concept, previewing its first plug-in hybrid.

Sharing a design language with the larger Stelvio, the sleek compact crossover stands out with a large lower grille flanked by LED-array headlights that are thinner than those on the Stelvio and retro design elements like Alfa Romeo’s characteristic phone-dial wheel, which as borrowed from the 33 Stradale of the 1960s.

Highlights of the interior include a 12.3-inch full digital instrument cluster, a large 10.25-inch touchscreen for the central head unit, and premium materials ranging from aluminum to Alcantara and leather.

Technical details or a launch window for the production Tonale were not revealed, but the model was envisioned with a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

Alfa Romeo plans to launch a total of six PHEVs by the end of 2022, and the Tonale will certainly be one of them.

Porsche Is Working On An All-Electric Macan

The German automaker is electrifying its smallest SUV.

Porsche has announced work on an all-electric version of the Macan that it plans to release a few years after the Tesla Model S-rivaling Taycan sedan and its slightly higher-riding sibling, the Taycan Cross Turismo, go on sale. The company approved the project at the end of 2018 in hopes to bringing the crossover to market by 2022.

“Electromobility and Porsche go together perfectly; not just because they share a high-efficiency approach, but especially because of their sporty character,” Porsche CEO Oliver Blume stated. “By 2022 we will be investing more than six billion euros in electric mobility, and by 2025 50 percent of all new Porsche vehicles could have an electric drive system.”

An electric Macan would likely be positioned as the Porsche’s volume-seller in the electric car arena, seeing as the current Macan outsells the Panamera by a ratio of three-to-one. It will be built on Volkswagen Group’s Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture, sharing its DNA with Audi’s upcoming Q4 e-tron compact electric crossover.

The announcement coincides with the company’s plan to have half of its lineup to be available with electric powertrains by 2025.